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Waymo will build self-driving cars in Michigan

It received approval for the first all-autonomous factory in the world.
Waymo just took another major step toward bringing self-driving cars
into the mainstream. The Alphabet-owned brand has received approval to
establish a factory for its driverless vehicles in Michigan. This will
be the first factory in the world to be completely devoted to
mass-producing Level 4 autonomous vehicles, the company said.

It may be a while before the first vehicles roll off the line. Waymo
first plans to "identify a facility" somewhere in southeastern Michigan,
and it's not clear when that factory might be ready. The company hopes
to create "hundreds" of local jobs over the space of a few years.

The state is an obvious choice for manufacturing self-driving cars. On
top of its close association with the car industry and the sheer number
of qualified workers, it's a good testing environment. This gives Waymo a
better opportunity to prove that its cars can handle snow and other
less-than-forgiving weather conditions. Many self-driving projects in
the US, including Waymo's own work in Arizona, tend to favor southern
states where conditions are favorable year-round.

It's not certain just what mix of vehicles Waymo will produce. However,
it suggests the planned factory is mainly meant for integrating autonomy
into existing vehicles, as it does with Fiat Chrysler and Jaguar. You
might not see it produce driverless cars made completely from scratch as
a result. It's nonetheless a start, and it's no secret that many
established brands see autonomous car production as the future.https://www.geezgo.com/sps/52766